Chain saw attachment for tractors



C. A. SMITH, JR

CHAIN SAW ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS Dec. 28, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledFeb. 28, 1950 m m .m w T m 7 9 ZMQ A. m m m T g \R a 9% m w Dec. 28,1954 c. A. SMITH, JR 2,698,035

CHAIN sAw ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS Filed Feb. 28, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 4I Inventor Chester A. Smith, Jr

Dec. 28, 1954 c. A. SMITH, JR 2,698,035

CHAIN SAW ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS Filed Feb. 28, 1950 s Sheets-Sheet 3Chester A. Smith, Jr.

Fig. 3

By 24mm United States Patent'f) This inventionrelates to a mobilepower-operated saw, and more particularly pertains to a chainsaw651960131131! well suite'd for sawing logs into sections which ismounted to be supported andopera-ted by. tractors'of rthe general typedisclosed in the patents to= Ferguson Nos: 2,118,180

and 2,118,181.

The primary object ofthisinvention is toenable a person tosaw objectsins-a pl'upality of vertical planes: without the necessity of moving theobject and -withaa min imurn expenditure of time, efforn-and'attention-,and Without requiring a the use of expensive equipment other;than a; tractor that has other utility, or-partichlanskill on the partofthe operator.-

Another important object of-.the present inventionis to provide anattachmentwhich may be etficaeiously attached and removed from tractorsof -the well-known Ford-Ferguson type, which will be capable ofrealizing the foregoing object, which will'be safe-to'operate,=and-which will itself be subject to aminimum; possibilityof damageduring operation of the same.

Anotherimportant object of this-invention is to provide an attachmentofthis character, in conformity With-1116;

foregoing objects, Which Will utilize the hydraulic lift of; tractors ofthe beforernentioned-type for controlling the vertical movement ofthe'sawing elementof the attach ment but inwhich a degreeof-freedomis'perrnitted thesawing elementin the verticaiplane sothatthe'actual sawing operation will be automatic when once; initiated,;and .which freedom will also, atfordqa-safeguard against damage to thesawing element upon striking obstructions during the sawing operations.

A further important object of; thfiyPI'fiSfiIlt invention is to providean attachment of this character which'will be adjustable to inclinationto the horizontal plane, and which adjustability also permits the sametobe compactlyfoldem for storage, or for transport of the.sameuponatractor when proceeding to the point of use.

A meritorious feature of the present .inventionresides in .thesimplicity ofthe means providedfor mounting the attachment 'upon atractor, which nieans are particularly well suited to cooperate with theimplement lift-.means of. Ferguson type tractors, and which renders theattaehment the facility 1 of attachment to the implement liftcommensurate with the ease and flexibility with which agriculturalimplements are customarily attached. .to.,th e i t'o t i t p or .charstsn. and h s r s a ification whatsoever of the tractor itself.

Another important feature of the present invention resides in theutilization of the lift arms of the tractor for vertical movement of thesaw attachment, and the flexible connection between the lift arms andthe attachment which permits independent upward movement of the at-.tachment.

Still another important feature of the present invention resides in thefoldability of the attachment and the angular adjustability between thechain saw and the drive therefor.

A final important feature of the present invention to be specificallyenumerated herein resides in the simplicity of the attachment, whichrenders the same of great structural strength, durability and lowmanufacture and cost, and yet which is highly efiicient for the purposesintended.

These, together with various ancillary features and objects of theinvention which will later become apparent as the following descriptionproceeds, are attained by the present invention, a preferred embodimentof which has been illustrated by way of example only in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

2,698,035 Ratented. Dec, 28, 19.54,

Figure; liiS atreanrelevational viewr-iofstheipresent in vention.showing. the. same attached :to a =.tractor, and 'zanitlternateiposition of the attachment shown in.-dotted.5ou-t-\.=

Figure.-,2 .is a: vertical sectional view..oftl1'e present in- 'vention.taken vvuponrtherplane ofthe section line 305 f Figurel. .andash'owingcertaintconcealed portions thereof in dotted outline;

Figure B is. a toprplanaviewzofi tlIeJembodiment shownin Figure 1;.

F igure. 4." is .a vertical: sectional I view: taken rup'on -the a planeof the section line 4:. 4.of Figure.2; and I Y Figure-5 is a sectionaldetail view taken upon-the plane of the broken section'line=5-5'ofFigure 1.

Reference is now made more specifically to th'e'accompanying. drawings,whereinlike nurnerals= designate '-similar parts throughout thevarious-views; and in which' the reference :numeral =10 designates--generally a tractor'of the well-known Ferguson type which includes atransmission housing 12, axle housings 14 and 16, and hydraulically operated lift arms 18-that are pivotally mounted tothe trac tor it) as at20 for movement about a transverse horizontal) axis, which arms 18,-'aswill be understood, are-controlled in their position'by an operatorscontrol lever, not shown, carriedby the-tractor pin In mounting -thesubject matter of the present inven tion upon the tractor10, theelevating lijnkfls-Zl-remainsecured-to brackets 22 as on conventionalFord or -Fergu sou -tractors, and it will be noted that the usualconnect-ing'- links, not shown, between-the 'lift'arms IS-andthe-elevating links ZI'have-been-removedi The attachment; designated generallyat 23; which con stitutes thesubject matter of the presentinvention,in-' cludes' a ;triangular saw supportframe 24, the horizontal 5 portion26 ofwhich is connctedbymeans of bolts -28orlynch pins'of the well'known- Ferguson type -at-'the -op-- positeends thereof to the outerends of the elevating links 2115 The inclined portions of the-frame'24have their lower ends suitably secured to the opposite ends of the por-'tion 26 and have their upper ends spaced to receivethere betweenxtheouterend ofa top link 32,"and' are pivotally connected by-means ofa bolt34 extended through the portions and the outer endof the links 32. Asinthe Fergusontype of tractor, an L -shaped'bracketf36ihas the outerend'of' one leg pivotally connected-at '38'toythe transmission housing12*and the outer end ofith'e other] end pivotally andoperativelyconnected at. 40 to' a spring assemblyAZ: A pair ofsuch brackets 36 areprovided and spaced to receive therebetween the inner-end of the. toplink". 32' and" the inner ends 'of a pair of divergent: members 44, the:inner'end of the'linksj32 and the'innerj endsof the members 44' beingpivotally connected to the uncture of the legs of the brackets 36 bymeans ofa pivot bolt 46 extending therethrough; The outer ends of the;diyergent members 44 are secured to the opposite ends'of thepor tion 26Df the triangular frame' 24 as Well as the links 21'by means of the'pinsZt}:

As best shown in Figure 2, the link 32 isjformedin two e tions t a areonne ed. at 48, the arrang ment b g suchflthata limited amount ofyerticaljadjustr'nent is, per? mitted the triangular frame 24.

Mounted intermediate the ends of the portion 26 is a bearing 50 throughwhich rotatably extends a shaft 52, one end of which is operativelyconnected to the power take-off 54 of the tractor 10 by means of anupwardly in clined intermediate shaft 56 and universal couplings 58,whereby the shaft 52 is rotated in response to rotation of the powertake-0E 54.

F votally mounted upon the drive shaft 52 is a saw driving assembly 60which includes a channel-shaped hous1ng 62 and a member 64, whichchannel-shaped housmg 62 is disposed to shelter therein a drive pulley66 fixed upon the shaft 52 for rotation therewith. Formed at the end ofthe member 64 remote from the shaft 52 is a transverse housing 68 inwhich is journaled a shaft 70, to one end of which is keyed a drivenpulley 72, and a pair of V-belts 74 are entrained over the pulleys 66and 72 in the housing 60 for establishing a driving connec' tion betweenthe power take-ofi 54 and the pulley 72 through the shafts 32, universalcouplings 58, shaft 52, and the pulleys 66 and 72. To the end of theshaft 70 opposite the pulley 72 is mounted the driven sprocket 76 of thechain saw assembly indicated at 78.

The chain saw assembly 78 includes a frame 80 and the saw chain 82 whichis entrained over the sprocket 76.1 Since the chain saw assembly 78 doesnot, in itself, constitute the subject matter of the present inventionand is entirely conventional in design, it is believed that a furtherexplanation of the same is not necessary.

Except as hereinafter pointed out, the connection between the driveassembly 60 and the chain saw assembly 78 is analogous in allfundamental respects to that shown in the patent to Arsneau, issued May9, 1944, No. 2,348,588, which includes means, indicated at 84 foradustably extending the frame 80 for tensioning the chain 82 and inwhich the frame 80 includes a sleeve 86 rotatably mounted on the housing68. As will be described hereinafter, the assembly 60 is adjustablyretained in fixed angular relationship with the assembly 78.

In order to pivotally move the assembly 60 and assembly 78 in a verticalplane about the axis of the shaft 52,

a laterally extending lever 88 is suitably secured to the assembly 60,and the outer end of the lever 88 is operatively connected to one of thelift arms 18 by means of a chain 90. One end of the chain 90 is secured,as at 92, to the bifurcated outer end of the arm 18 and is secured atits other end to the outer end of the lever 88 and is intermediatelyentrained over a guide pulley 94 carried by a bracket 96, which bracketis, in turn, secured to the portion 26 at the end remote from the chainsaw assembly 78 as best shown in Figures 3 and 4, the arrangement beingsuch that upon upward movement of the arm 18 the assemblies 60 and 78are moved from the full line position shown in Figure 1 to thealternative raised position shown in dotted outline at 98.

In order to adjustably fix the angular relationship between theassemblies 60 and 78, a bracket arm 100 connects the member 64 and theframe 80, as best shown in Figures 1 and 3. In the preferredconstruction, the bracket 100 is secured as at 102 to the frame 80 andis adjustably secured at its other end to a plurality of projecting lugs104 angularly disposed on the housing 68, whereby, as will be readilyunderstood, the angular relationship between the assemblies 60 and 78may be adjustably fixed.

In order to prevent side sway of the attachment, a stabilizing brace 106is secured at its inner end to the axle housing 14 and at its outer endto the end of the portion 26 adjacent the chain saw.

. The operation of the attachment will be readily understood. One of themost important advantages of the present invention resides in the factthat the operator may sever a log or the like into a plurality ofsections without leaving the operators position of the tractor, andanother important advantage of the present invention resides in theflexible connection between the lift arm 18 and the attachment 23,whereby the attachment 22 may be positively lifted while the chain saw78 advances into a log by gravity, with the flexible connection servingonly to limit the rate of advance as desired.

Since, from the foregoing, the construction and advantages of thisinvention are readily apparent, further description is believed to beunnecessary.

However, since numerous modifications and equivalents will readily occurto those skilled in the art after a consideration of the foregoingspecification and accompany- $1 a transverse drawbar secured to thetractor frame by a pair of elevator links and supported by a pair ofdivergent members secured adjacent the ends of said drawbar and to abracket mounted on the tractor, said attachment comprising a pair ofdownwardly divergent frame elements connected together at their upperends, the lower ends of said divergent members being secured to saiddrawbar, an articulated link secured between the upper end of thedivergent members and said bracket, a bearing mounted intermediate theends of said drawbar, a shaft 'journaled in said bearing, a drivingconnection between said shaft and said power take-off, a housingjournaled on said shaft, a sheave fixed on said shaft within saidhousing, a transverse-shaft journaled in said housing, a sheave on saidtransverse shaft in said housing, a flexible ..'driving elemententrained over said sheave, a saw opera-v tively connected to saidtransverse shaft.

2. A saw attachment for mounting a saw on a tractor of the type havinghydraulic lifting arms, a power takeoff, a transverse drawbar secured tothe tractor frame -by a pair of elevator links and supported by a pairof divergent members secured adjacent the ends of said drawbar and to abracket mounted on the tractor, said attachment comprising a pair ofdownwardly divergent frame elements connected together at their upperends, the lower ends of said divergent members being secured to saiddrawbar, an articulated link secured between the upper end of thedivergent members and said bracket, a bearing mounted intermediate theends of said drawbar, a shaft journaled in said bearing, a drivingconnection between said shaft and said power take-off, a housingjournaled on said shaft, a sheave fixed on said shaft within saidhousing, a transverse shaft journaled in said housing, a sheave on saidtransverse shaft in said housing, a flexible driving element entrainedover said sheave, a saw operatively connected to said transverse shaft,an adjusting lever secured on said housing adjacent said bearing, asheave journaled adjacent the end of said drawbar, a flexible tensionmember secured to said lifting arm and to said lever, said tensionmember being entrained over the sheave adjacent the end of said drawbar.

- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSNumber Name Date 995,269 Maurino June 13, 1911 2,420,836 Nelson May 20,1947 2,432,726 Crawford Dec. 16, 1947 2,436,504 Duncklee Feb. 29, 19482,439,607 Irwin Apr. 13, 1948 2,461,384 Kelly Feb. 8, 1949 2,560,641Goodlet July 17, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 118,817Australia Aug. 14, 1944

